Plot
Illyria
What is Orsino's title?
Duke
Who was the reigning monarch of the Elizabethan Era?
Queen Elizabeth I
What is dramatic irony?
When the audience has information characters on stage do not.
What is the first line of the play?
If music be the food of love, play on
What is the name Viola adopts when she becomes a man?
Cesario.
Why does Olivia claim to be disinterested in proposals of marriage?
She is grieving her father's, and more recently her brother's, death.
What was the name of the shift from Catholicism to Protestantism that occurred across Europe, England included, in the 16th Century.
The Reformation
What does Orisino say he was metaphorically transformed into when he first saw Olivia.
A hart, another name for a deer.
Who says the line "The lady bade take away the fool, therefore I say again, take her away."
Feste
Describe the type of clothing does Maria convince Malvolio to wear?
Yellow, cross gartered stockings.
What is Malvolio's official role in Olivia's household?
Steward
Identify and describe the religous sect does Malvolio represent?
The Puritans, a particularly strict part of the Protestant Church.
What item does Olivia use to see Cesario again, and what is its symbolic meaning?
A ring - symbol associated with marriage, representing eternal love.
Who is Olivia speaking to when she says: "Nay, come, I prithee; would thou'dst be rul'd by me!"
Sebastian.
Which of the three couples is not married by the end of the play?
Orsino and Viola.
Who is the last character on stage, and how do they conclude the play?
Feste is the last character on stage, and he sings a song.
Sir Toby Belch and Maria's marriage represents what societal shift?
The breakdown of class hierarchy due to the emergence of a professional middle class or
The increased consideration of romantic love when marrying.
Name one way they are different.
In the play, who authored the line "some
are born great, some achieve greatness, and some
have greatness thrust upon 'em"?
Maria.
Why does Sir Andrew challenge Cesario (aka Viola) to a duel?
Fabian and Sir Toby have fooled Sir Andrew into thinking that Olivia is deliberately making him and wants him to prove his valour in conflict.
Why is Antonio reluctant to go into Illyria?
Antonio did once "sea-fight" against Orisino's ships. Orsino calls Antonio a pirate in Act 5, which Antonio refutes but acknowledges he was "Orsino's enemy.
What is the significance of the title "Twelfth Night". And why is this particularly relevant to the play?
It is a festive day, 12 days after Christmas where people dressed up, played pranks, and people from different social classes mixed.
Viola says at the start of the play: My brother he is in Elysium. What mythology or belief system is this an allusion to, and what does it mean?
It is an allusion to Greek mythology. It means heaven, or Greek paradise, reserved for the blessed and heroic.
Who has the last spoken line of the play?
Orsino.